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Following the expiration of the current executive’s mandate, the overseeing body of the Uganda Musician Association (UMA) began the nomination process for the new governing body...
Six suspected highway robbers have been apprehended by the Police Flying Squad Unit on the Kampala-Mityana road. The suspects have been identified as Ibrahim Ssemuwemba, a...
A case against a man who allegedly circulated fake news that President Yoweri Museveni had died has been dismissed by a Luwero Chief Magistrate’s court. Since July 15, 2021, Jamir Ssekyondwa, a resident of Kabunyata trading centre in Kamira sub-county, Luwero district, has been on remand. He was arrested and charged with offending others in violation of section 25 of the Computer Misuse Act of 2011. According to the charge sheet, Ssekyondwa used his phone number 0707262*** to send messages to 0757453*** on July 5, 2021, claiming that Museveni had died when he had not. During the court hearing, Ssekyondwa pleaded guilty to the crime, and the prosecution asked the court to find him guilty. However, in his ruling, Luwero Chief Magistrate Samuel Munobe stated that the facts presented by the state do not reveal the major elements of the offence, such as repetitive communication or willfulness in such communication, and the interference with the right of privacy of the person in hearing. Munobe went on to say that the accused could not be found guilty based on these facts because it would violate the able constitution principles laid out in Article 28(12) of the Constitution of Uganda (1995) as amended, which states: Nothing in clause (l) of this article shall prevent the court or tribunal from excluding the press or the public from all or any proceedings before it for reasons of morality, public order, or national security, as may be necessary in a free and democratic society. “The facts, for that matter, do not reveal the legal offense.” Chief magistrate Munobe ruled, “The charge is dismissed, and the accused is accordingly discharged.” Ssekyondwa was taken aback by the decision and remained in the dock until the magistrate informed him that he had been released. Ssekyondwa had been on remand for eight months by the time he was released, despite the fact that the maximum sentence for the offense, if convicted, is only one year. Dorothy Mukasa, the executive director of Unwanted Witness, applauded the decision but chastised security agencies for using the Computer Misuse Act to silence Ugandans who use electronic platforms to express their views. As digital rights activists, Mukasa is concerned that the offence is selectively used to imprison people who criticize top government officials and President Museveni, but that these people never appear in court to demonstrate how their privacy has been violated. “Right now, you can’t demonstrate physically, so electronic platforms are your only option for expressing yourself.” Security organs, on the other hand, are closing the space, bringing the country to total dictatorship,” Mukasa said. And all the while, Swaibu Nsamba Gwogyolonga, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) chairperson for Katikamu South Constituency in Luwero district, is still fighting charges of offensive communication stemming from anti-Museveni Facebook posts. Nsamba was arrested in 2017 after writing a Facebook post about how he plans to announce and mourn Museveni’s death when he passes away. A Photoshopped image of Museveni and how he will appear after his death accompanied the post. He was granted Shs 50 million in non-cash bail. However, Nsamba’s case has never been resolved, and he is scheduled to appear in Magistrate Court at Buganda Road every month.
Felix Odupa, a former Kioga County MP candidate, has stated that after mourning the death of Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah, his next step will be to spearhead the proposal to have the country’s president elected by parliament. Odupa stated on the NBS Morning Breeze show that he will accomplish this by collecting signatures to ensure that Uganda transitions from the current presidential system to a parliamentary democracy electoral system. He also revealed that the proposal has already received approval from the Electoral Commission. “After we pay our respects to our brother Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah, we will begin collecting signatures to ensure that the president is elected by parliament.” “We’ve already received approval from the Electoral Commission,” Odupa said. According to Odupa, the country requires a solution to a number of issues with the current constitution, and one of those solutions is the proposal to change the electoral system. Early in January, a group of NRM party candidates who lost in the previous parliamentary elections backed the electoral system amendment proposal, led by Odupa, through their group Transformer Cadres Association Uganda. “We propose that parliament create a Senate or Upper House.” Political parties with representation in parliament will nominate members of the Senate of the Upper House. The Senate will be represented based on the strength of the parties in the lower house. This is intended to improve the quality of debate in the area of legislation.” In January, Odupa told journalists. If amended, this opens the way for a hybrid parliamentary system in which parliament and local government councils elect the head of government, who also serves as the head of state. When asked about his position on the proposal in January, President Museveni said that voting should be done by all Ugandans, not just Members of Parliament. “It limits such a President’s legitimacy.” “I don’t support and will not support that proposal because it should be for the entire population,” Museveni said in an interview with the NewVision.
Allan Ssewanyana, a detained Makindye West MP, is seeking an injunction to stop the election of the speaker of parliament until he is allowed to run for the same office. MPs are expected to vote on Friday for the next speaker of parliament to replace the late Jacob Oulanyah, who died on Sunday in the United States of America after being rushed for medical treatment. Ssewanyana, who is being held on remand at Kigo Maximum Prison on several murder and terrorist charges, says he has expressed interest in being the next speaker. Ssewanyana claims that while he is on remand, he is still only a suspect who is innocent until proven guilty, implying that he has all rights to engage in the process, including expressing interest and running for speakership. Similarly, in addition to being ill, spending too much time on remand without trial, and having numerous pending responsibilities for which he has been seeking bail, Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya told the court that if the current deputy speaker of parliament resigns, he would like to run for the position. The trial magistrate instructed the MPs’ counsel to study the appropriate legal routes via which their interests in the contest for speakership might be successfully represented when delivering her verdict, in which she further remanded the MPs until April 6. “……regarding the application that the accused parties want to make in relation to the speakership contest, this can be done through their counsels,” she said. Lukwago stated that before seeking an injunction to stop the ongoing process for the election of the speaker, he will seek an audience with the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LoP) Mathias Mpuuga to inform him of the MPs’ interest in running for the same position. MPs, on the other hand, had already expressed their dissatisfaction with the slow pace of the investigations into the murder charges leveled against them. They also blamed the prosecution, led by Richard Birivumbuka, the Masaka local chief state attorney, for what they called persecution, claiming that the state has continuously failed to find substantial evidence that would allow them to be committed to the High Court for trial. However, in his response, Birivumbuka requested that the court give him until the next adjournment to present the committal papers for the two MPs, claiming that he was nearing completion with the preparation of crucial witnesses in the case.
By Gad Masereka A key suspect in a string of murders in the Masaka sub-region has gone missing. Around 15 suspects, including two MPs from Makindye...
Mr Nathan Okori, Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s father, has stated that his son died of “poisoned” causes rather than natural causes, but has also stated that the...
Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, the former Speaker of Parliament, will declare her interest in resuming her coveted seat tomorrow, Tuesday. We’ve learned that a group of MPs gathered at Kadaga’s home in Muyenga on Monday evening to decide on the position left vacant by Jacob Oulanyah’s death. The meeting agreed that Kadaga, who has served two terms in Parliament, should go to the National Resistance Movement party’s electoral commission headquarters on Tuesday to declare her candidacy. “Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga is best suited and has the necessary experience to chair Parliament and provide leadership at this time,” said a meeting attendee. Anita Among, the Deputy Speaker, is also said to be in the running for the same position and is expected to arrive at the NRM electoral commission headquarters on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. Among, who has been the Deputy Speaker for 9 months, decided on Monday evening with her team to take a shot at the Speakership.
On Sunday morning in Strépy-Bracquegnies, near La Louvière, Belgium, a car crashed into a crowd of people gathered to attend a local carnival. Six people were killed. Another ten people were taken to nearby hospitals with life-threatening injuries, while another 27 were “slightly injured,” according to Deputy Crown Prosecutor Damien Verheyen.“A car came from the back at high speed and crashed into group, pulverized a large number of people, continuing its way before stopping a little further down,” La Louvière mayor Jacques Gobert told reporters as a group of carnival-goers marched towards the town center.Verheyen said the two men in the car, both from La Louvière and born in 1988 and 1990, were arrested. He went on to say that a “reconstruction” was needed. Verheyen stated the two men in the automobile were both from La Louvière and were born in 1988 and 1990. He went on to say that a “reconstruction of the facts” will be performed to determine the vehicle’s exact route and any possible reason.At 5 a.m. local time, the incident occurred. 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Brussels is Strépy-Bracquegnies.Officers claimed there was no evidence that the event was caused by a police chase, contrary to early allegations. They also stated that “no elements” have yet been discovered that indicate the occurrence “may be deemed a terrorist assault.” Five rescue vehicles and 16 ambulances were dispatched to the scene to transport the casualties to various hospitals in the area, according to authorities; 70 non-injured persons were also evacuated.On Sunday at 4 p.m. local time, Belgium’s King Philippe and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo were set to pay a visit to the scene.“His sympathies were with victims and their relatives,” De Croo remarked on Twitter. “Strépy-Bracquegnies has some bad news. A community celebration has been struck in the heart “he pennedAnnelies Verlinden, the Dutch interior minister, also tweeted her condolences “to the families and friends of those who died and were injured” in the event.“What was supposed to be a fun get-together turned into a disaster. We’re keeping a careful eye on the situation “In a tweet, she expressed herself.
Mbarara City Police are examining the circumstances surrounding the death of an Indian national in a city lodge. Narasimha Prasad, 57, was discovered deceased at B...
